Paranoia
by Zelda-Princess-of-Time
Summary: Zelda, a high school student, is trying to forget her past. Her twin brother, Sheik, and her friends, Midna and Zeke, make it slightly hard when they go ice skating. Modern AU one-shot


**Hey! Thanks for reading! Please no flames... Thanks! :)**

My breath quickened exponentially, as did my pace. I continued to hear the footsteps approach me rapidly before I finally whirled around to face whoever it was. "What do you want?!" I yelled. My azure eyes flashed with both fear and annoyance, as well as a hint of anger.

"Gee, Zel. It's only me," my best friend Midna laughed. She completely disregarded my ability to get scared quickly – and I mean _quickly_.

"Gee, Mid," I mimicked sarcastically; "It's only me. Gosh, did you really forget that I get startled easily?" I questioned; my face remained stoic and impassive. Yup – I'm impervious.

"You're too uptight, Zel," Midna shook her head, laughing.

I began to protest, "No I'm –"

"BOO!" I heard someone shout from directly behind me – into my ear – Ouch.

I flinched visibly and whipped around again, this time to face two people – Wow… It sounded only like one person, but I was wrong… It was my twin brother, Sheik, and Midna's boyfriend, Zeke. "SHEIK! ZEKE!" I yelled, smacking them both on their arms in turn. Those two drive me nuts…

Zeke and Midna were Twili, and Sheik and I were both Hylian, though Sheik always wore red contacts, just to look like the Sheikah… My brother is crazy – What's wrong with being Hylian? He obviously wanted to be a Sheikah, based on his training every day in Sheikah warfare with a legit Sheikah warrior, Impa. His obsession with the Sheikah is clearly how he was able to sneak up on me undetected. Along with being impervious, I'm also quite perceptive, except when it came to Sheik.

My brother could sneak up on me in the twinkling of an eye, and I wouldn't hear him. He uses this to his advantage all the time, including my trait of being startled easily.

"Ow, Zel – Really?" my brother asked, rubbing his arm. He was wearing short sleeve, so you could see the bright red mark I left on his arm. Oops… Not…

"Yeah – You hit hard! – For a girl," Zeke added quickly, clinging to his masculinity.

I rolled my eyes before cracking a slight smile. Even though they do take joy in my fear, I still love them dearly – Even when I want to punch them. "Good for you," I stated, rolling my eyes once more.

"Oh, sure," Zeke drawled, "So Midna can get away with it, but we can't. I see how it is, Zel."

"Wrong – None of you can get away with it," I glared at all of them in turn. They drive me insane – But I still love them and don't know where I'd be without them. I mean, high school is pretty tough, if you ask me. All this crazy drama and stuff… And extra homework... And creeps… OK, I admit it – I am grateful for the slight protection my besties provide.

"Yo – Zel," Sheik waved a hand in front of my face.

"What?!" I snapped. I honestly didn't care if I did because he deserved it sometimes… Sometimes… Don't say that I don't think he deserves a little high five in the face sometimes because he does!

"You're gonna be scared real bad someday soon," he answered, stifling a laugh.

"It's supposed to be _really_ within the context of your statement, which I highly doubt is true," I responded coldly, socking him once more.

"Whatever!" Sheik rolled his eyes.

"It does matter!" I exclaimed. "Grammar is extremely important! – Especially to the Sheikah," I added as an afterthought.

"Really?" my brother questioned.

I'm telling you, it works like a charm. "Yup; now stop using incorrect grammar; it gets on my nerves," I stated, glaring at him.

My brother and I stopped our witty banter for one short second, only to discover that Midna and Zeke had ditched us. "Zeke!" Sheik yelled, "You can't just ditch us!" But, he was yelling at no one; the two sneaks had gone, leaving us behind. Gee, thanks, Mid, Zeke… Sigh…

"They left us," I confirmed, my eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Oh, well," Sheik shrugged. "Zel – Watch this," he then commanded. I turned toward him expectantly, and he performed a perfect backflip and landed with his hands in the air. "Tada!" he exclaimed, "Whatcha think?"

"You're going to break your neck one day, and don't say that I never told you," I answered, glaring at him, though I was slightly impressed with my strong brother's feat. Sheik was more swift than strong, but what strength he did have, he used well. He also had lots of stamina and endurance, due to his love of running. He could literally carry me on his back for miles without breaking a sweat.

I definitely admired my brother and was slightly jealous of his athletic ability; I mean, the guy is a machine! He was a jack of all trades and was stellar at whatever sport he tried.

"Aw, c'mon, Zel," Sheik scratched the back of his neck, knowing it was my way of telling him that I was proud of him. "You say that all the time, and I never have, and probably never will!"

"Aw, c'mon, Sheik," I mimicked; yup, that's another one of my quirks – I loved mimicking others. "I just care about you."

"Sure," Sheik drawled, rolling his eyes. He gave me a big side hug before ruffling my hair, which is one of _his_ quirks.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact," I gave him a wide smile. "I just _love_ my younger twin brother! I wouldn't know what to do without him!" I exclaimed with mock enthusiasm.

"You know you love me – And you're only older than me by a minute!" Sheik protested.

"And forty seconds," I added obnoxiously. I dropped the cheesy grin and gave him a genuine smile. "But, joking aside, I really do love you, bro. You're the best brother I've ever had!"

"And the only brother you've ever had. We probably scared Mom and Dad about having more kids after us," Sheik chortled.

"Absolutely – Zel and Sheik forever!" I exclaimed. I held out my hand, and we did our secret handshake we'd come up with when we were twelve. It was our trademark thing, and all our friends could never figure it out. I guess it's just a twin thing…

"And ever," Sheik completed. That was our signature phrase – Zel and Sheik forever – and ever. Our parents used to call us double trouble, and I guess they were right. "I love you, my paranoid, easily scared older twin sister," he stated.

"And I love you, my crazy, sometimes idiotic younger twin brother," I answered back.

We both collapsed into fits of laughter, which was normal for us whenever we were together. Our friends soon became used to it – They called it the "twin thing." As you can see, Sheik and I are really close, and I wouldn't have it any other way…

"Boo!" Midna and Zeke yelled from behind me.

Sheik quickly covered my mouth, muffling my shriek. He glared in their direction, and so did I. "Really?" he questioned, hiding a snicker. He wasn't startled but knew that I was. The guy has senses like a Sheikah. No one can sneak up on him. He probably heard them coming but didn't warn me. Meanie…

"Yeah, Sheik, really," Midna responded. "Oh, we're sorry – Were we interrupting some of your twin bonding time? We're terribly sorry."

"You better be; Sheik and I don't really like our twin power bonding time being interrupted," I answered, maintaining my glare.

"Well _excuse_ us, Princess," Zeke mock sneered.

"You are excused," I responded, seemingly oblivious to Zeke's teasing tone, although I wasn't.

"Did I ask?" Zeke snorted, bursting into laughter at my "princess" voice.

Whenever I used a more serious tone, my friends (and Sheik) always insisted that I sounded like a princess, to which I would begin to laugh – I am no princess, that's for sure.

"Hey, we should go ice skating soon; it is getting colder, and we always have our annual skating tradition," Midna spoke up.

"True," Sheik nodded, "How about this Monday?" he questioned.

"Isn't that when we _always_ do it?" Midna questioned, already knowing the answer.

Sheik shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to ask."

"We're on," Zeke grinned.

I loved ice skating, and I knew everyone else did too. We had started this tradition back in junior high where we would go to the ice skating rink the Monday of Christmas break. We had kept this tradition for years, considering we were now in our senior year of high school, and it was always very fun.

"How about 4?" Sheik asked.

We all nodded once more, and I grinned, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"So, Zel," Midna spoke. It was now Monday morning, and it was just us. Sheik and Zeke had gone to do something since it was now Christmas break, and Midna and I had chosen to stay behind because, honestly, Zeke and Sheik are nuts.

We were in the midst of watching a movie at her house, and we lay sprawled on the couch. She and I would crack up at some points without even knowing why – And we didn't question each other. I guess that's why we're such good friends.

"What's up, Mid?" I asked with a mouthful of popcorn.

"Have you ever thought about – _him_ – recently?" she asked carefully, knowing that _he_ was a touchy subject.

"Well," I drew the word out, trying to think of something to say. I didn't want to speak but knew I had to, otherwise Mid would think something was wrong, and we couldn't have that. Then she would tell Zeke, who would then tell Sheik, who, in turn, would get mad at me for being the last person to know that something was wrong with me. Yeah, pretty complicated.

I knew Sheik was very protective of me, and I loved him for it, but he still couldn't beat out _him_. _He_ had been so caring and so compassionate. _He_ had always watched out for me and had even promised me that _he_ loved me. I believed him because _he_ told me the truth – always.

But then, _he_ left, for reasons unknown, without even a goodbye. I had been devastated but had had to trust in my Savior for wisdom, and I had made it, with the help of my Savior, Sheik, and Midna and Zeke.

After _he_ left, Sheik had gone into hardcore Sheikah training because _he_ had been Sheik's best friend. For a while, Sheik couldn't even look at me because I reminded him of the loss he had just experienced. I had been the one _he_ loved, making me a constant reminder of the best friend Sheik had lost.

Zeke and Midna had been upset and even stopped talking to each other for a while before they started dating in junior year. Yup, _he_ left freshmen year of high school, so Midna and Zeke had stopped talking to each other for roughly two years before finally getting over their dispute.

They had both blamed themselves for being the reasons _he_ had left so they both became upset when the other disagreed. It may seem stupid and trivial now, but _his_ departure tore all of our friendships and put a strain on all our relationships.

I had been the most torn of all, though. I had known _him_ my whole life and had even told _him_ I loved _him_. I had never experienced that much pain in all my life and hoped that I never would have to again. I spent a brief period of denial, hoping in vain that _he_ would come back, even though I knew he wouldn't.

And now, four years after _he_ had left, I was thinking about _him_. In fact, the day _he_ had left had been after our annual ice skating day. Whenever this day hit, I would always end up thinking of _him_ somehow, and I knew everyone else did too. I also knew that it broke us every time.

I cleared my throat slightly. "I don't know," I stated softly.

"I think about _him_ a lot, actually," Midna answered, her voice just as soft. Her red eyes remained downcast, as though she was ashamed.

I reached for the remote, aimed it at the TV, and paused the movie. "I just – don't know…" I repeated. My sky blue eyes filled with tears but refused to let them spill. "I guess I'm just – confused… _He's_ been gone for so long now, and I doubt _he's_ coming back any time soon. I mean, why would _he_ come back?"

" _He_ – as much as I don't want to say this – Zel, _he_ really did love you, and _he_ had to leave because something happened that was out of _his_ control. I know that now. It wasn't me, or Zeke, or Sheik, or you… It was something else. And, trust me, it had to be something really big because _he_ wouldn't have left you for anything," Midna gave a watery smile.

"I just – I keep telling myself that _he_ won't be coming back – that _he_ can't come back," I replied; the tears finally began to course down my face.

"Zel – You just have to trust; trust God, trust your friends, _and_ trust _him_. _He_ doesn't want to hurt you," Midna responded. "I know _him_ – Maybe not as well as you or Sheik or Zeke, but I know _him_. _He_ just needs to figure things out."

I groaned in frustration. "I can't take this anymore! I just want _him_ back!" I began to cry, not caring if Midna saw me with my guard down. She was my best friend, and I needed her here during this moment of vulnerability.

"I know, Zel; we all do," Midna answered consolingly.

"You don't know _him_ like I do," I stated weakly, feeling emotionally drained. I was tired of pretty much everything – always feeling drained, feeling helpless in this situation, and of being afraid of the future. I sighed and breathed a silent prayer, knowing that my future rests in God's hands.

"I know, Zel – That's why _he_ needs you, and why you both need each other. You know each other better than you know yourselves," Midna replied, smiling slightly. "You guys know each other so well."

"I don't know if I do anymore," I responded, and I don't know if that's what scared me the most – the fact that _he_ might come back – completely changed. It would be like meeting a stranger. I was scared of possibly being hurt if and when _he_ came back. We had been so close that it would be extremely hurtful if we went back to square one, and even worse, if we were so different that we couldn't even be around each other.

"You're scared," Midna stated, as though reading my mind.

I nodded slowly.

"And you have every right to be, Zel. You just have to remember that you both _have_ changed, but that doesn't have to change the relationship you two have. You guys have something special, and I would hate for that to be thrown away," Midna answered.

"I know," I replied. We continued to talk for hours about any and every topic, the movie paused, forgotten. Before long, the doorbell rang, and we both jumped slightly, startled.

We exchanged glances and stood, walking toward the door. We were greeted by Sheik and Zeke, who had their skates in hand.

"Sorry to burst in on you guys, but it's 3:30, and we wanted to be early," Sheik stated, tussling my blonde hair.

"That's OK; go to the kitchen and grab whatever you want while Zel and I get ready," Midna commanded, leading me up the stairs to her room.

I saw the guys shrug before heading to the kitchen to get some food. "What're you gonna wear, Mid?" I asked as we entered her room.

She pointed to an outfit laid out nicely on her neatly made bed. "Sweater and jeans," she shrugged. Midna never really cared to much about being trendy; she wanted to be Midna-fashionable. Midna was often a trend-setter at school without even knowing it because she was just herself. She didn't care about what was considered "trendy" or "cool"; she just cared about what she liked and her own personal style.

I admired her in that way, and so did others around her. She had an aura of confidence but not foolish pride, and I respected her deeply as a friend. What was I going to wear? "Mid – I didn't bring anything with me; I forgot everything except my skates."

Midna laughed out loud, and I glared at her. "Just borrow some of my stuff. Here – I'll find you something." She began pulling things out of her closet at a rapid pace and thrust them at me.

"You can use the bathroom down the hall, and come back when you're done, so I can make sure everything looks OK," she commanded. She left and entered her bathroom and waved. "Good luck!"

She was also a very take charge person – another thing I admired about my best friend. I headed down the hall to the other bathroom and began to change. It was amazing how Midna could take a bunch of random articles of clothing, throw them together, and create a breathtaking outfit. That was a talent I did not have.

She had chosen a cream-colored Christmas sweater similar to her own green one and a pair of dark wash jeans. We were about the same size and height, so everything fit fine. I had worn a pair of warm brown boots, which matched perfectly with my new outfit. I walked briskly back to Midna's room and entered.

"It looks awesome, Zel!" Midna exclaimed. Her straightened red hair had been pulled into a big, voluminous ponytail at the top of her head, and she held a curling wand in her right hand. "Time for hair!"

Thirty minutes later, my blonde hair was done in spiral curls, and Mid and I were both ready. We made our way down the stairs to find the boys in the living room with their eyes glued to the TV screen, playing a video game and eating snacks.

Sheik didn't even bother looking up from the screen, controller in hand. "Man, took you long enough!"

"Yeah, remind me next time that 4:00 in womanspeak means 5:00 in manspeak," Zeke snorted in return.

Midna smacked his arm. "Let's go," she commanded, grabbing her skates, being careful of the blades.

"Aw, Middie! That hurt!" Zeke exclaimed childishly.

Midna rolled her eyes in response and beckoned us all to the door. "Let's go," she repeated, and we all left her house, skates in hand.

Midna lived only a few blocks from Destiny Park, which was where the skating rink was located. That rink had to be at least a decade old by now. I even had vague memories of Sheik, _him_ , and I when we were little, just learning how to skate, even before we met Midna and Zeke. Once we met Midna and Zeke in elementary school, we were all instantly inseparable. We became "the quintet" as we were soon known.

We chatted as we walked and sang Christmas carols, although Sheik and Zeke mostly belted the lyrics rather than sing. We arrived at the rink shortly afterward and entered. It was mostly empty, which meant we got the ice to ourselves – Score!

After we got our skates on, we began gliding fluidly across the ice. I began to laugh at Sheik and Zeke's crazy tricks, and Midna and I watched in amusement as they both fell shortly afterward. Those crazies…

"Zel, watch this!" Sheik exclaimed, attempting something else. It was definitely one of those "please do not try this at home" moves, and thankfully, Sheik is still alive to tell about it today.

"You dork!" I retorted as my silly brother began to try to dance a jig on the ice. "Sheik, stop! They're gonna tell us to leave if you keep this up!"

"No, they won't. Everyone knows that I am an expert skater!" Sheik answered back, continuing to goof off.

"If you say so!" I responded, rolling my eyes, even though I knew it was true. Sheik was an expert skater, and everyone that worked at this rink knew it. If they didn't, it was because they were new to the staff. It also didn't help that Sheik was a favorite with most of the workers here, and he relished it.

I continued to skate around the rink gracefully, not pausing for anything or anyone, not even for Sheik. Then, I thought of _him_. Why did _he_ keep coming to mind? Why couldn't it have been – I don't know – Sheik? (As weird as that may seem.) No comment…

 _He_ and I had always promised that when we were older, we would be figure skaters together, and that we would perform together in pair figure skating competitions. When we were younger, we used to pretend that I was the Princess of Destiny, _he_ was the Hero of Time, and that Sheik was a legendary Sheikah warrior.

I smiled slightly as I thought about _him_. _He_ brought both joy and sadness to my mind, and I hated it. I missed _him_ so much! Why did _he_ have to leave? We had promised to be together forever…

I noticed that Sheik and Zeke had stopped goofing off and Midna had stopped her figure eights… They were looking behind me…

"Boo," I heard a voice from behind me.

I flinched visibly, and I'm not sure which caused it more – my ability to be easily startled, aka my "paranoia" as Sheik likes to call it, or how the voice sounds so uncannily similar to _his_. It couldn't be – _him_ – could it?

"Link," I breathed quickly, before I could stop myself.

"Zelda," the voice answered back huskily. No – it couldn't be – _him_ – It couldn't possibly be _him_. I refused to hope.

"I don't know you," I stated quietly. My sky blue eyes filled with tears.

The figure behind me placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me around to face him. "You don't know me, Zelda?" his voice panged with hurt, echoing the pain in my heart.

"No," I whispered. "Link has been dead to me for the past four years, and he's never coming back – ever…" my voice trailed off, shaking.

"Ever?" the man before me repeated. His cobalt eyes flickered to mine, capturing my gaze against my will. He kept his hands placed firmly on my shoulders, and he blew a tuft of his blonde bangs away from his face.

"Ever," I confirmed, finally breaking away from his captivating gaze.

"Zelda," he repeated my name softly – He sounded so – broken.

I stopped for a moment – frozen. "Link?"

I guess Link didn't need anything more – He just engulfed me in a huge embrace. "Zelda," he repeated again, beginning to sob.

My eyes went wide, then I closed them, and I continued to cry, alongside Link. I forgot about everyone else – Sheik, Zeke, Midna, and the other people occupying the rink – It was just me and Link – together – just like how I had dreamed that it would be…

He kept his arms around me, and I hugged him back – The only thing I wished I hadn't forgotten was the fact that we were on ice skates. I almost slid, which was what brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes with Link still embracing me – He hadn't disappeared like four years ago – He was here – with me…

"I've missed you so much, Zel," he stated softly.

"No kidding," I answered back sarcastically. I guess I still managed to keep my wit. I cracked a teary smile, as did Link.

"But seriously, Zel, we have so much to catch up on," he responded. "So much has happened, including, this," he took off his left glove, leaving his hand uncovered. Three triangles were embedded on his left hand, and the bottom right triangle was glowing a golden color. No – it couldn't be – Not him! Not my Link!

"Link – No," I breathed softly, my breath hitching in the back of my throat.

He offered me his left hand in response, and I took it in my right. I immediately felt a searing pain travel through my body, my right hand in particular. I shut my eyes until I felt Link embrace me once more. He lifted my right hand up for me to see. A set of triangles, similar to his, had embedded themselves on my own right hand. The bottom left triangle glowed brightly.

What was this supposed to mean? I looked at Link questioningly, and my brows furrowed in confusion.

"Care to take a guess?" Link asked, smiling down at me sadly.

"You're the Hero of Time," I answered slowly.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, "Princess."

I looked up at him in shock. "Princess?" I questioned. No, why me?! Why Link?! We didn't want this – Did we?

"Princess Zelda," Link stated, bending on his knee. He bowed his head in respect while I stood, frozen once more.

"No," I said softly, beginning to cry again.

"Zelda – But this means that I'm not leaving again!" he exclaimed. He grasped my small hands in his own and gazed into my eyes excitedly. "I get to stay here – with you!"

"Why did you leave?" I questioned, gazing back trustingly into his fierce cobalt eyes.

"I had to; I got this mark freshmen year, was terribly confused, and went to the library to find a book on it. The librarian, Shad, introduced me to a man named Rauru, and he told me that this meant that I was the next Hero. He showed me that he was the Light Sage and offered to train me. That meant that I would have to leave, to focus," Link paused his explanation in order to make sure I had understood the mouthful he had said so far.

I nodded, "Go on," I urged.

"Rauru began to train me, along with teaching me regular academics. I had to do a lot of bodybuilding and weaponry training. I made sure you were safe, though. I watched out for you, and I knew that Sheik was watching you too," Link continued.

"Sheik?" I questioned.

"Yup, Sheik," Link nodded. "You know, you're one of the main reasons he's been doing all this Sheikah training."

"Me?" I asked.

Link nodded once more. "Yeah, he's you're Sheikah protector, and it's his job to make sure that you're safe."

"Really?" I asked, grateful for my older brother.

"Yeah, I was able to speak to Sheik around junior year, and it turns out that he knows Rauru too," Link answered.

I paused. "Wait – You spoke to Sheik, and he didn't tell me?"

"It was for your protection, Zel. I couldn't do or say anything that would compromise your safety. You're precious to me, and it's also my duty to you, Princess," Link responded.

"So, what're you doing here? – and now?" I asked, fiddling with my hands. They had stopped burning now, and it looked like I would be carrying this mark around permanently. Was this happening? This had been my fairytale dream growing up, and I knew that it had been Link and Sheik's too. But I also knew in my heart that it was real. This, my fairytale, was real. And I was a Princess.

"Well, you're almost done with senior year, and so am I. You need to start your own training because, well, some type of evil is close at hand, and we can't delay any longer. I want you by my side. I can't go on without you, Zel. You know, I told you in freshmen year that I loved you, and I still love you now. Please forgive me, and I promise that I will never leave you alone again," Link vowed, pulling me closer to him.

"I love you too, Link. I have all this time, and I don't think I'm ready to stop now. I'm not angry or upset – just glad that you're back. And, I guess our destiny was tied together after all, huh?" I laughed softly. "We'll defeat this evil together, and no one will be able to stop us 'cause we'll be together – _And_ – we can be paranoid together," I declared jokingly.

Link chuckled. "Yes, we can. Love you, Zel," he murmured again into my blonde hair.

"Love you too, Link," I responded, hugging him tighter.

"BOO!" Sheik yelled from behind us.

Link and I both jumped, being caught unaware – and that is a mighty feat, considering we were both on ice skates. "SHEIK!" we yelled back.

Midna and Zeke smirked with their hands in the air, "Wasn't us."

Link and I glared at our friends playfully. Yup – We were "paranoid," and we had a major evil to defeat soon – But we were together after being separated for so long, and I wouldn't have it any other way…

* * *

 **Total Word Count (excluding Author's Notes):**

 **4,838**


End file.
